LOS ANGELES There are plenty of proud alums celebrating UCLA's first NCAA championship in baseball. Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is as proud of any of them.
In a way, he had a hand in it.
Last fall, Utley was one of a few alums that stopped by workouts to take batting practice with the team.
To the majority of the baseball team, he's not "Chase Utley, All-Star second baseman." He's family. He's a Bruin. He's one of them.
"He's a great guy," said UCLA infielder Kevin Williams. "The guy's just humble. He comes out (and) drops some knowledge for us. He's a cool dude. Always helping, always loving the Bruins (and) supporting us."
Said UCLA head coach John Savage of Utley taking batting practice with the team: "You got a guy, an all-star, a World Series champion and one of the best players in the game coming out and doing what they do. It felt normal. It felt like he was just one of the guys. It says a lot about his character and his love for UCLA."
Utley had ...

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